public services
Categories under public services
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Creeping elitism
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 21st, 2012 - 19 comments
There was a time when you expected higher standards from the senior ranks of the public service. Now, more and more, they are just like private sector CEOs. Elitists. The standards are slipping. This slap on the wrist for the Building and Housing CEO who manhandled a staffer just shows how pervasive the elitist private sector ‘one law for us, another for them’ mentality has become.
It’s turtles all the way down
Written By: - Date published: 6:14 am, April 19th, 2012 - 8 comments
Anyone else see the irony in the ‘bureaucracy-slashing National Government‘TM reacting to delays in the Christchurch rebuilding – partly caused by lack of coordination between the local bureaucracy, the existing central government bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy National created especially to deal with the rebuild – by adding another layer of back-room bureaucracy?
Consultancy blowout
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, April 12th, 2012 - 34 comments
In opposition the Nats were critical of Labour’s spending on consultants. Thanks to Keith Ng we now have some figures on sending under the Nat government. Guess what…
Hidden away
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, April 11th, 2012 - 27 comments
Hidden away at the end of this story, hidden away out of most media view, hidden away from Housing New Zealand, and from society… ordinary people being shafted by National’s cuts.
Juking the stats
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, March 16th, 2012 - 12 comments
There’s some odd omissions from Key’s new ’10 targets’. There’s nothing hard. Nothing about closing the gap with Australia, formerly goal number 1. Nothing about creating jobs, despite 170,000 being promised. Nothing about the cycleway that was going to end the recession. It invites a closer look at the 10 targets. And then you discover, they’ll all happen anyway.
Key’s laundry list of broken promises
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 pm, March 14th, 2012 - 57 comments
He must resign. Surely. Here is Key, speaking to the PSA in 2008, making very specific promises about public service jobs, tax cuts, and asset sales that helped him get elected. Promises he has since broken. There’s no excuse. He wasn’t blind-sided by events. He made these promises never intending to keep them. Key is refusing to comment but if the man has any ethics he’ll resign.
‘Perks’?
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, March 13th, 2012 - 14 comments
It’s easy to attack the extra remuneration that diplomats get while on posting as ‘perks’ that can be cut. But they serve an important purpose. Diplomats and their families have to up-root their whole lives to go on posting. For diplomats’ partners, that usually means giving up their work and income. If there’s no compensation for that, then diplomats won’t be able to go.
List contest: Coping with redundancy stress
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 8th, 2012 - 43 comments
The $340K contractors hired to show our diplomats the door have told them that, to cope with stress, they could pray, take a bath, or get a cat. What else do you think was on the list?:
- Suggestion 4: Whistle while you don’t work…
- Suggestion 12: Watch The Life of Brian. Sing along to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life…
- Suggestion 18: For the love of God, stop leaking to Phil Goff
Every time they cut, remember the tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, March 7th, 2012 - 53 comments
Police numbers are going to be slashed. Diplomats too. And nurses. All up, 2,500 jobs gone so far for $20m saved. And it turns out more than half the government’s new doctors don’t exist. Big public sector strikes may be coming. Every time you read this stuff, remember National’s tax cuts for the rich. The $1.1b for ‘fiscally neutral’ tax cuts last round alone. That’s where the money went.
All in the family
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, February 26th, 2012 - 91 comments
A couple of months after Hekia Parata was promoted to Education Minister, her sister has been promoted to a very senior position in the Ministry of Education. It seems a lot of the Parata clan are experiencing good fortune lately – her husband got a sweet gig ‘explaining’ asset sales to iwi, and several relatives got jobs in her ministerial office.
Life in the front lines
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, February 23rd, 2012 - 33 comments
Hey remember how the Nats weren’t going to cut frontline staff? How’s that working out?
IT isn’t free
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, February 17th, 2012 - 172 comments
The Nats want to replace public service jobs with computerised systems. They claim that this will improve service and save money. Quite apart from the folly of destroying jobs in the current economy, they are likely wrong on both those claims.
Treasury advocates own disbandment
Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, February 2nd, 2012 - 100 comments
Treasury has blown the dust off its 1980s economics textbooks and offered the same old failed prescription. Their moronic suggestion to cut education spending to finance tax cuts can be dismissed out of hand. But their suggestion of core Crown spending cuts has some merit; I know where we can get $75m that’s being spent on useless advice and incompetent forecasting.
Setting up business: we’re prize winners
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, January 18th, 2012 - 35 comments
Yesterday I officially set myself up in business. As a GST registered independent contractor. It took about half an hour. Both IRD and ACC’s websites were easy to navigate and understand. I do admit I got a little befuddled trying to figure out the correct ACC classification for what I do (enthusiastic nagging, recruitment and communications at […]
National’s Spending Cap Bill
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, December 6th, 2011 - 11 comments
National will pass a Spending Cap Bill, under the cover of its Confidence and Supply deal with John Banks. The question isn’t if this Bill is a farcical idea that would hurt NZ if ever enforced (which it wouldn’t be) – even the arch-neoliberals in Treasury oppose it. The question is why National has no better ideas for Parliament’s precious time.
Do the maths on massive public service cuts
Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, November 15th, 2011 - 37 comments
We finally get a glimpse of just how ‘small’ the government thinks small government should be. From the Sunday Star Times: It has slashed new spending provisions and put the public service on a belt-tightening programme for which, English warns, there is no end in sight. The public services, he says, is only about a […]
Remember
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 16th, 2011 - 59 comments
When the Nats say they must cut early childhood education funding – remember their new $500m subsidy to polluters.
When the Nats say they have to cut women’s refuge money – remember their new $500m subsidy to polluters.
When the Nats say they have to sell our assets to pay their debt – remember their new $500m subsidy to polluters.
NRT: John Key’s New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, September 9th, 2011 - 72 comments
I/S at NoRightTurn on the Gisborne mother and baby who were turned away by three government agencies when she sought help: “People who go to WINZ needing help should get it. Instead, this woman was told to fuck off, thanks to service cuts and a deliberate policy of limiting costs by imposing bureaucratic barriers to access.”
Human face of public service cuts
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 30th, 2011 - 41 comments
Good human interest story in the DomPost today about the human costs of public service jobs cuts. A Wellington woman has written a letter to Prime Minister John after her 63-year-old mother learned last week that her position at the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry is to be axed. Staffing cuts after a merger with the Fisheries […]
What we owe policy wonks
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, August 26th, 2011 - 21 comments
Yesterday William commented to Cuts and Consequences to the effect that who needs policy analyst and that big private companies don’t bother with them and so neither should government. I’m paraphrasing a little bit but it did strike me that many people (including it seems some very senior ministers in this government – but not – funnily enough […]
Cuts and consequences
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, August 25th, 2011 - 23 comments
The government reckons it can cut the number of public sector workers without cutting services. That wasn’t the experience of the 80s and 90s when vital institutional knowledge and expertise were lost in a frenzy of asset sales, privatisation and brutal job cuts– when public service numbers dropped from around 85,000 public servants to under 30,000 […]
Cuts for you, tax cuts for Brash
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, August 11th, 2011 - 56 comments
ACT’s Spending Cap Bill is coming to Parliament. It would cap government spending and only let it grow each year by inflation and population growth. At first blush, and assuming that you don’t want the government to do anything it doesn’t do now, this might seem like a way to maintain current services without adding more. But reality ain’t that simple.
Salt in the wound
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, June 30th, 2011 - 81 comments
Two years ago, this government sparked the biggest protests in a generation when it tried to open up the most precious parts of our conservation estate to mining. The policy got canned but the agenda has continued below the surface. Now, 100 DoC staff have been sacked while the MED unit for oil drilling and mining will nearly double its staff.
Rearranging the deck chairs
Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, June 1st, 2011 - 41 comments
Renaming, merging and splitting agencies is what a government does when it wants to look busy but has no ideas.
Hard to believe it has only taken two and a half years for National to get to this point.
Plurality support quake levy
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, April 4th, 2011 - 4 comments
A UMR poll shows that 40% of Kiwis support paying an earthquake levy to help pay for the Christchurch rebuild. 22% prefer more borrowing, and 29% want spending cuts. Asked just whether they supported or opposed a levy – 57% supported it. Yet the Nats are choosing cuts instead.
Economy
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, April 3rd, 2011 - 84 comments
The economy, shall we say politely, is facing some difficulties. With a National government there was no plan as to how to weather the economic storm, we just got tax cuts for the rich and an economy that just can’t get growing.
Choices, choices
Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, April 1st, 2011 - 21 comments
In the last Budget, National cut the corporate tax rate to 28%, which costs $400 million a year and comes into effect today. It also cut $200 million a year from early childhood education and tertiary funding in the same Budget, while borrowing billions. When the government cuts public services it is because it chooses […]
Cuts don’t make costs disappear
Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, March 30th, 2011 - 62 comments
Key and English are trying to soften us up for big public service cuts this budget. They tell us it’ll just be ‘nice to haves’ and that the private sector will step in to fill the gap when they cut too close to the bone. The important thing to realise is that every time the public service doesn’t provide us with something either we have to buy it out of our own pockets (usually at greater cost) or we don’t get it at all.
‘Crisis’ but tax cuts for the rich keep coming
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 43 comments
The Nats want us to believe there is no other option than massive cuts to government spending. Roughly, a third of the cuts covers the earthquake rebuilding, another third covers the Nats’ tax cuts for the rich, and the last third covers the revenue loss from this neverending recession. So, how come the Nats can afford another round of tax cuts for the rich?
Slash and burn, Key’s choice
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 96 comments
John Key says there’ll be no new money in the Budget. The health, education, and other locked-in increases plus the Christchurch rebuild will come from cuts elsewhere. Cuts of up to 32%. It doesn’t have to be that way. The rebuild and the shortfall can be easily covered if Key wanted to. If he chooses to slash and burn, it’s because he wants to.
Cuts! Cuts! Cuts!
Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 42 comments
There was already going to be too little money in Budget 2011 for maintenance of public services. Now what little there was is being further slashed in the name of Christchurch. An Earthquake Levy is not an option, rather we’ll all pay through increased borrowing and 25% cuts in services like police, transport, justice and social services.
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- A Parliament of office workersAlthough there are now more farmers than teachers in the country’s 54th Parliament, office work, politics and humanities education are the dominant backgrounds of MPs. Mark Blackham and Emily Mingins write – Research released today by Blackland, a PR consultancy, finds that the six most popular ...2 weeks ago
- Watching Television.
Some of you might’ve guessed what today’s song is already. As the top comment on YouTube says, “one of the most important records ever made by one of the most underrated bands of all time. Just as relevant today as it was when it was released.”I’d agree with that, I’ve ...2 weeks ago - Confidence in Government collapsesA new poll shows women see the country on the wrong track more dramatically than other cohorts, especially older men, and overall confidence collapsed in March. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items of note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy on Thursday, April 4 included:A Roy Morgan poll ...2 weeks ago
- Bryce Edwards: The Affluent pathway to ParliamentIncreasingly the New Zealand Parliament is becoming a place for the affluent. New research out today on the socioeconomic and occupational backgrounds of those in the current Parliament shows that MPs are becoming more and more homogenous. Despite diversifying demographics in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and so forth, our ...2 weeks ago
- How can I make my retirement plan climate-friendly?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara Grady If you’re worried that your retirement plan might include investments in fossil fuels, here’s what you can do. The first thing you’ll want to do is research what’s in your 401(k). Which stocks and bonds are in the mutual ...2 weeks ago
- The Maddest March since COVIDMarch is now over and so too is March Madness – though public transport will likely stay busy at least until school holidays in a few weeks. So how did PT perform in March …. pretty well it turned out. Just prior to March I wrote about how average weekday ...2 weeks ago
- Mark Blackham and Emily Mingins: A Parliament of office workersAlthough there’s now more farmers than teachers in the in the 54th Parliament, office work, politics and humanities education are the dominant backgrounds of MPs. Research released today by Blackland, a PR consultancy, finds that the six most popular careers for MPs are (in descending order) managers, elected representatives, ...2 weeks ago
- Chalk marks the position of the body
Try as he might to dazzle us with his CEO mad skillz, there is no way this lacklustre Prime Minister can conceal the awkward reality that he is but the goofy grinning front end of a horse costume, the monkey who fancies himself the organ grinder, the sad awkward cuck ...2 weeks ago - “Efficiency” is no reason to violate human rightsThe right to trial by jury is affirmed in the Bill of Rights Act. The National Party wants to take it off you: Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is considering ways to reduce the number of jury trials, saying an increase in defendants choosing them is contributing to delays. Data ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Govt welcomes the lifting of an injunction (to protect the Maui dolphin) which banned some fish i...Buzz from the Beehive The lifting of a temporary ban on some New Zealand fish exports to the United States was hailed by two New Zealand ministers as a win for commonsense. Sea Shepherd spokesperson Michael Lawry, on the other hand, told RNZ “politics and power” had won over science. ...2 weeks ago
- Why Do We Love True Crime?Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Read more ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on the death of library browsingFor many of us, the word “library” has comfortable connotations. It suggests rows of books in which to browse, make discoveries and pass them on to friends and family. Beyond being a resource centre for culture and practical information, a typical library is also a community meeting ground and a ...2 weeks ago
- I'm not a cynic.
I'm just bein' realistic, bein' honest with myselfI've tried bein' optimistic but it doesn't seem to helpSo I'll just have to admit this is the hand that I've been dealtI'm not bein' pessimistic, just bein' honest with myselfI remember a family outing at lake Rotoiti, near Rotorua. It always felt ...2 weeks ago - Success CityPatrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Council’s City Centre Advisory Panel. On the back of the latest Infometrics data release, the Council through its economist Gary Blick has been publishing a whole lot of great numbers: For the second year in a row, Auckland’s high-achieving city centre has ...2 weeks ago
- Government creates establishment board for charter schools
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has announced the Charter School | Kura Hourua Establishment Board to guide the formation of the charter school model, so that the first schools can open in 2025. “Charter schools will provide educators with greater autonomy, create diversity in New Zealand’s education system, free educators ...2 weeks ago - Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand fast tracked to residence3 April 2024 Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand fast tracked to residence Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand will be put on a fast track to residency to help address workforce shortages, Immigration and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today. “Shortages in secondary teachers, especially those in specific regions ...2 weeks ago
- United States lifts ban on New Zealand fish exportsA temporary ban on some New Zealand fish exports to the United States has been lifted in a win for commonsense, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay say. The United States’ Court of International Trade lifted a preliminary injunction that temporarily stopped trade ...2 weeks ago
- Conflicts past and present form backdrop to historic visit to PolandPolish refugees arriving in New Zealand during World War II and the extreme human impacts of the war in Ukraine were themes of Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ visit to Warsaw today. “This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the arrival on our shores of Polish refugee children and their ...3 weeks ago
- Flu campaign reinforces the importance of vaccinationMinister of Health Dr Shane Reti says the start of this year’s flu campaign reinforces the importance of vaccination in keeping New Zealanders healthy during the winter months ahead and protecting the health frontline Receiving a flu vaccination in Auckland today, Dr Reti says getting a flu shot not only ...3 weeks ago
- Flu campaign reinforces the importance of vaccinationMinister of Health Dr Shane Reti says the start of this year’s flu campaign reinforces the importance of vaccination in keeping New Zealanders healthy during the winter months ahead and protecting the health frontline Receiving a flu vaccination in Auckland today, Dr Reti says getting a flu shot not only ...3 weeks ago
- Government continues to deliver for New ZealandPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has launched the Government’s next action plan to deliver for New Zealand – setting out key steps to be taken by June 30 to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and improve public services. “I am proud to lead a government of action. We are ...3 weeks ago
- NZ announces humanitarian assistance to Gaza, SudanForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced $6 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by conflict in Gaza and Sudan during his ongoing visit to Egypt. “There are huge and urgent humanitarian needs in both Gaza and Sudan, and it is important that New Zealand continues to make its ...3 weeks ago
- The beginnings of modern science shaped how philosophers saw alien life – and how we understand it...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland Wikipedia Speculation about extraterrestrials is not all that new. There was a vibrant debate in 17th-century Europe about the existence of life on other planets. ...3 days ago - Families including someone with mental illness can experience deep despair. They need supportSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Cole, Lead, Mental Health, Edith Cowan University In the aftermath of the tragic Bondi knife attack, Joel Cauchi’s parents have spoken about their son’s long history of mental illness, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17. They said they were ...3 days ago
- How Fast-track Consenting Might Impact The Environment – Expert Reaction
Submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill close at the end of Friday. The law would allow major infrastructure projects to bypass lengthy resource consenting processes – being assessed instead by an expert panel , with Ministers ultimately having ...3 days ago - Changes To ECE RegulationsIn QPEC's view, the Coalition changes to ECE announced mid-April are exactly the opposite of what is needed The Issue David Seymour is loosening regulations and qualifications for Early Childhood Centres, removing government signoff for new ...3 days ago
- NZDSN Opinion: Organisations Must Do Better For Disabled New ZealandersWe at New Zealand Disability Support Network applaud the Commerce Commission for filing proceedings against One NZ for their latest failure on 111 Contact Code. It doesn’t take much to think of harmful or fatal scenarios for people with disabilities ...3 days ago
- Caviar Before Children"Caviar before children is what has happened today!” says Pat Newman spokesperson for Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association "The cuts to day to both the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki, point to a government hell bent on delivering tax ...3 days ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: Aukus ruckus reveals division on foreign policy direction
Is New Zealand’s trumpeted independent foreign policy in peril? Helen Clark has raised the alarm over New Zealand inching towards a pillar two status with Aukus, warning of a “profoundly undemocratic” direction of travel away from the independent foreign policy forged over four decades. Peters, foreign minister today and for ...3 days ago - Inspectorate Report Shows Prisoners Denied Entitlement To Daily Time Out Of CellsA report from the Office of the Inspectorate shows that prisoners in three units at Auckland Prison were not able to leave their cells every day for many months. For up to nine months (until mid-July 2023), prisoners in three units were denied ...3 days ago
- 'I thought we were friends': Dave Letele reveals falling out with PM Christopher Luxon
Community leader Dave Letele considered Christopher Luxon a friend - until the PM reacted badly to an open letter he signed decrying racism. ...3 days ago - Watch: Luxon defends hosting Myanmar officials at ASEAN conferencePrime Minister Christopher Luxon says the government condemns outright the Myanmar coup, and NZ is simply following the policy set by ASEAN. ...3 days ago
- You could help minimise harm in a public attack. Here’s what it means to be a ‘zero responder’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney The tragic Westfield attack in Sydney highlights the vulnerability of crowded public spaces. Six people were killed and many were injured by a knife-wielding attacker in a short ...3 days ago
- Could not getting enough sleep increase your risk of type 2 diabetes?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giuliana Murfet, Casual Academic, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Not getting enough sleep is a common affliction in the modern age. If you don’t always get as many hours of shut-eye as you’d like, perhaps you were concerned ...3 days ago
- Ministry of Education to cut 565 roles, more than 400 to go at Oranga TamarikiThe announcement comes hours after Oranga Tamariki announced it was axing 400 roles. ...3 days ago
- Ministers announce plan to extend port permits by 20 yearsPorts are having their permits for pre-RMA activities extended so they won't need to obtain new ones before September 2026. ...3 days ago
- ‘Coffee table books or Dune’: Secrets from the bookshop floorWelcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Lisa Jean O’Reilly, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland. The weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floor Last week a couple came into the store, holding hands, and asked if we stock any practical ...3 days ago
- Brutal Day Of Govt Cuts, Axing Support For Children And Young PeopleOranga Tamariki and Ministry of Education propose scrapping 1012 jobs ...3 days ago
- The High Court is hearing another high-stakes immigration case. Can people be forced to assist in th...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney Starting today, the High Court will hear a case to decide if the government’s indefinite detention of a bisexual Iranian man is lawful, partly because he is unwilling to ...3 days ago
- Why Australia’s Olympic funding changes might widen the gap between rich and poor sportsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Cairney, Head of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has proposed a new strategy to bolster the financial health of Olympic sports, ranging from minor sports such as table tennis to dominant codes ...3 days ago
- Large Scale Cuts At Education Ministry Will Have Negative Impacts On Schools And ChildrenThe cuts will affect both the daily running of schools and early childhood education services, and will make support for students even more difficult to access. ...3 days ago
- Watch live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in ThailandThe Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is taking questions ahead of a meeting with his Thai counterpart. ...3 days ago
- Indigenous businesses are worth billions but we don’t know enough about themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Evans, Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne Indigenous businesses generate about A$16 billion a year in revenue and employ more than 116,000 people – almost as many as the massive Coles retail group. But the contribution of these businesses to the ...3 days ago
- NEW POLL: Strong Support For Inflation Adjustment Of Tax Brackets To End The Stealth TaxA new Taxpayers’ Union — Curia poll has revealed that New Zealanders – at a ratio of five to one – support inflation adjustment of income tax brackets. 67% of respondents supported inflation adjustments while just 13% were opposed. ...3 days ago
- Watch live: Ministers announce plan to extend port permits by 20 yearsPorts are having their permits for pre-RMA activities extended so they won't need to obtain new ones before September 2026. ...3 days ago
- Time For Associate Minister Of Education To Reveal His School Lunches Magic TrickIt’s time for him to explain how he will do this, what the consequences will be and what evidence he has that these changes will achieve the same results. ...3 days ago
- Letter From Te Hunga Roia Maori O Aotearoa / NZ Maori Law Society Re Cabinet BreachTe Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa | the New Zealand Māori Law Society are concerned about recent comments made by Minister Shane Jones in respect of the Waitangi Tribunal. We consider that his comments breach the principle of the separation of powers ...3 days ago
- Tolerate Online Abuse Or Resign: How The Law Fails Women MPsAs women MPs face social media vitriol, where are the plans to combat it? Human rights law expert Dr Cassandra Mudgway explores the global issue in a free talk. ...3 days ago
- Inflation Data Shows Need For A Plan On Climate And PopulationData today shows headline CPI inflation at 4%, continuing the fall begun in March 2023. Rises are concentrated in particular sectors – especially services. This data also shows that that the minimum wage increase will be half the rate of inflation ...3 days ago
- Myles Thomas: Newshub, TVNZ job cuts: We now have the worst TV in the Western worldCOMMENTARY: By Myles Thomas The announced closure of Television New Zealand’s last primetime current affairs programme seems to be the final nail in the coffin for New Zealand’s television credibility. Coming a day after the announcement of the closure of Newshub, it shows that Kiwis have the worst television and ...3 days ago
- Woolworths chief Brad Banducci couldn’t give senators his company’s ‘return on equity’. What...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Pinder, Associate Professor, Finance , The University of Melbourne During yesterday’s senate inquiry into supermarket pricing, Greens senator Nick McKim threatened to hold outgoing Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci in contempt for refusing to directly answer questions about the company’s profitability. ...3 days ago
- Netflix’s Ripley is the most controversial adaptation yet – it’s also the bestPip Adams reviews the Netflix adaptation Patricia Highsmith’s famous novel, which is dividing critics. Recently, 1,000 victims of human trafficking were freed from scam factories in Myanmar. While tech billionaires live off the profits from selling the information their platforms produce, these factory workers use this same information to engage ...3 days ago
- Let the games begin – coalition negotiations underway in HoniaraBy Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Polls have opened today in Solomon Islands. “Today is polling day. Polling Station opens at 7 am and closes at 4 pm. Be at the correct polling station and be in the voting line before 4 pm,” a text message from the ...3 days ago
- Government Spending Still Driving Cost Of Living SkywardResponding to today’s release of the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: “Domestic inflation is still punishing Kiwis, with non-tradeable inflation – the aspect most ...3 days ago
- Annual Inflation At 4.0 PercentNew Zealand's consumers price index increased 4.0 percent in the 12 months to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. The 4.0 percent increase follows a 4.7 percent increase in the 12 months to the December 2023 quarter. ...3 days ago
- Review: Don’t let ‘based on a video game’ put you off FalloutA gaming novice explains why you should watch the latest big video game adaptation to hit our screens. Gamers, avert your eyes. The extent of my gaming experience is graduating from Sims University in lieu of finishing my master’s degree, and you’re about to read what I thought about the ...3 days ago
- Two wheels, to where? Exploring the North Shore by bikeWe spoke with three people from the North Shore about why they love to cycle, and their favourite cycle routes. The North Shore of Tāmaki Makaurau has many cycleways and green parks to choose from. The biking community in the area is relatively large, and the occasional bike on the ...3 days ago
- Job cuts at Oranga Tamariki hit more than 400 rolesMore than 400 jobs are likely to go at the children's ministry, RNZ understands. ...3 days ago
- Women MPs Acknowledge Report Highlighting Increased Harassment Of MPs“The research reflects the real experiences of women in politics, and I would like to acknowledge the mahi by the researchers in highlighting this,” Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said. ...3 days ago
- Choice and control: the NDIS was designed to give participants choice, but mandatory registration co...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, Grattan Institute Shutterstock/Benjamin Crone Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a draft NDIS ...3 days ago
- Introducing some of our 100 new sea friendsA scientific expedition has found 100 previously unknown New Zealand marine species. Who are these creatures from the depths of the Bounty Trough? A big lipped, dark eyed, slimy limp fish. A juicy, elongated orb with 16 little legs, four bouncing from its topside and a mouth pouting with stubby ...3 days ago
- Is a 24-hour Home and Away channel the answer to subscription fatigue?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communications, RMIT University Do you find yourself endlessly scrolling through streaming channels, wondering what to watch among the hundreds (or thousands) of options? Do you worry about spending more money on yet another subscription just to ...3 days ago
- Light pollution affects coastal ecosystems too – this underwater ‘canary’ is warning of the im...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen Laura Sterup, Postgraduate in Marine Biology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Wikimedia Commons/Luca Davenport-Thomas, CC BY-SA In the early 20th century, canaries were used as early warning systems in coal mines to alert miners to rising levels ...3 days ago
- Biden is cancelling millions of student debts – here’s what to expect from AlbaneseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University So weighed down have Americans become by student debt, and so potent a political issue has it become in the US, that President Biden plans to waive interest or write ...3 days ago
- Melissa Lee ‘really, really happy’ about deal to keep the news on ThreeStuff will provide a news service for Warner Brothers Discovery on Three. As the industry awaits much-anticipated work to address sector-wide issues, the responsible minister says she’s very happy about the deal. News to continue but job losses likely to be significant News will continue ...3 days ago
- Contractor and consultant bill still high in police and NZTAThe government is pushing to cut spending, but money was still going out of non-core areas in the latest figures. ...3 days ago
- Stuff takes a big risk on Newshub
The bosses of Stuff and TV3 have been lauding their newly minted deal as a win for democracy and something to celebrate during a grim period for local media. While it is true that a slimmed down news service on Three is better than nothing, it is hardly strengthening our ...3 days ago - Abuse of MPs increased to 98% in 2022 – studyHarassment of MPs increased on nearly every measure over eight years, with 98 percent now reporting some kind of harassment, a study has found. ...3 days ago
- Public service cuts: Number of job losses set to rise to more than 2000Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Education are to make announcements about their plans for meeting demands to save money. ...3 days ago
- Massey takes risk in bid for international studentsCash-strapped Massey University is taking a risk in Singapore, as it looks for ways to claw back lucrative international students The post Massey takes risk in bid for international students appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Could Te Kuha coal mine be a candidate for ‘goodbye Freddy’?Expert evidence gathered over years shows what might be lost if a proposed West Coast coal mine gets Government approval The post Could Te Kuha coal mine be a candidate for ‘goodbye Freddy’? appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Why aren’t vulnerable babies being protected from RSV in Aotearoa?Each year, hundreds of New Zealand babies are hospitalised with this common respiratory virus, and health experts are concerned that preventative drugs used overseas are not being funded here. As winter approaches and people spend more time indoors, respiratory viruses start circulating. One common bug is RSV, or respiratory syncytial ...4 days ago
- Australia’s cash availability crisis creating an NZ monopolyHit by low demand for physical money, Australian cash-in-transit giant Armaguard is selling its NZ wing after rejecting an A$26m bailout The post Australia’s cash availability crisis creating an NZ monopoly appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- What the Post Office scandal can teach the Christchurch attacks inquiryOpinion: It only needs one person to stand up against injustice, but it requires a culture of inquiry for the truth to come out The post What the Post Office scandal can teach the Christchurch attacks inquiry appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Health education contracts on the chopping blockPharmac has opted not the renew the contract for educational resource He Ako Hiringa The post Health education contracts on the chopping block appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Olympic sailor doubles as Am Cup gamerAs a kid, Erica Dawson never owned one of those annoying little Tamagotchi digital pets. As a teen, she wasn’t the slightest bit interested in home video games and wasn’t addicted to playing Angry Birds on her phone, either. But now, on the cusp of entering her 30s, Dawson has ...4 days ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 17 AprilThe post Daily crossword, Wednesday 17 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 17 AprilLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 17 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- From colour to climate change – a scientist’s journeyOpinion: I find myself now spending most of my academic retirement period explaining the science behind climate change to my local communities. What was the life journey that brought me to this role? As a young child I remember being fascinated first thing in the morning by the pure blues ...4 days ago
- The dark side of the beauty industryThere is nothing to stop someone from buying a laser machine online and setting up a shop offering treatments for skin. Or injecting derma filler into a client’s face. No qualifications are needed for either treatment, but when it goes wrong the results can be life changing, even life threatening. ...4 days ago
- Govt urged to protect seabirds on the brink of extinctionAlbatross are being accidentally caught and killed by NZ fishing vessels at a rate 350 percent higher than previously reported The post Govt urged to protect seabirds on the brink of extinction appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- 14 (!) crucial questions about Stuff replacing Newshub, asked and (mostly) answeredBased on interviews with the heads of Stuff and Warner Bros Discovery, along with staff across both organisations, Duncan Greive presents an in-depth primer on the biggest news media deal in years. With additional reporting by Stewart Sowman-Lund Why did Stuff win out over NZME? This is in many ways ...4 days ago
- Critical minerals receive multi-million dollar support under Future Made in Australia policySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia are to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government loans as part of the Albanese government’s new Future Made in Australia policy. ...4 days ago
- Water theft laws and penalties in the Murray-Darling Basin are a dog’s breakfast. Here’s how we ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam James Loch, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Water is one of Australia’s most valuable commodities. Rights to take water from our nation’s largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, are worth almost A$100 billion. These rights can be bought and sold or ...4 days ago
- Massey University signs agreement confirming plan to set up Singapore branchMassey University says its Singapore campus will provide education services to students who do not want to study in New Zealand. ...4 days ago
- After a second knife attack in Sydney, how can parents talk to their kids and help them feel safe?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Westrupp, Associate Professor in Psychology, Deakin University In the space of three days, there have been two devastating knife attacks in Sydney. Your child may have seen these on the news or social media. Or they might be hearing about it ...4 days ago
- Why is the Sydney church stabbing an act of terrorism, but the Bondi tragedy isn’t?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Just days after the deadly Westfield Bondi attacks, a second knife attack in Sydney has generated widespread shock and grief. This time, a 16-year-old entered an ...4 days ago
- Masses of scalloped hammerheads have returned to one of Australia’s busiest beaches. But we don’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow in Marine Science and Manager Whales & Climate Program, Griffith University A juvenile hammerhead at Burleigh Beach, watched by snorkellers Olaf Meynecke, CC BY-NC-ND For the second year in a row, over 100 hammerheads have gathered at one ...4 days ago
- Have New Zealanders been misled about AUKUS, is involvement a foregone conclusion?Analysis - New Zealand involvement in pillar two of the military deal would represent a seismic shift. ...4 days ago
- How the Lehrmann v Channel 10 defamation case shone an unflattering light on commercial news gatheri...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s victory in the defamation action brought against them by Bruce Lehrmann is the second big win inside a year for the Australian media using ...4 days ago
- Pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription. Here’s whySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Coral Gartner, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, The University of Queensland Zamrznuti tonovi/Shutterstock The Australian government is currently considering a bill to implement the next stage of reforms to vaping regulation. At present, vaping products ...4 days ago
- For 600 years the Voynich manuscript has remained a mystery. Now we think it’s partly about sexSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keagan Brewer, Macquarie University Research Fellow, Macquarie University Yale University Library The Voynich manuscript has long puzzled and fascinated historians and the public. This late-medieval document is covered in illustrations of stars and planets, plants, zodiac symbols, naked women, and blue ...4 days ago
- Can AI read our minds? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be worriedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Baron, Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne Iconic Bestiary / Shutterstock Earlier this year, Neuralink implanted a chip inside the brain of 29-year-old US man Noland Arbaugh, who is paralysed from the shoulders down. The chip has ...4 days ago
- 5 reasons why the Fast-track Approvals Bill threatens NZ’s already fragile ecosystemsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Stanley, Professor of Ecology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Conservation “good news” stories – the release of native birds into new habitats, for example – are always welcome. They recognise the work of conservation staff and volunteers ...4 days ago
- Stuff to provide news bulletins to replace Newshub on ThreeBy Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter Warner Bros Discovery has done a deal with Stuff to provide news to replace Newshub. It will keep news on TV channel Three from July 6 and help Three retain some viewers. It also means important income for Stuff, but it will also stretch ...4 days ago
- Stuck in fight-or-flight mode? 5 ways to complete the ‘stress cycle’ and avoid burnout or depres...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong Shutterstock Can you remember a time when you felt stressed leading up to a big life event and then afterwards felt like a weight had been lifted? This process – the ...4 days ago
- Ministry of Education job cuts may affect school lunch programmeThere is concern the team delivering the programme could be halved, while RNZ has also been told it will be "decimated". ...4 days ago
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